Johnny Depp, Amber Heard Circus Trial Inspires Modern Version of 'Carousel' Musical

The total circus that was the trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard had actually inspired the new version of the musical "Carousel." This musical was deemed one time by TIME Magazine as the "greatest musical of the 20th century."

Repertory Philippines' (Rep PH) "Carousel," the company's first live production in almost two years, was inspired by the TikTok coverage of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's defamation trial.

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's musical "Carousel" chronicles the sad romance of carousel barker Billy Bigelow and millworker Julie Jordan, with a subplot involving Julie's acquaintance Carrie Pipperidge and her partner, the ambitious fisherman Enoch Snow.

Rep PH selected Toff de Venecia to direct a "post-modern and contemporary" remake of "Carousel" It was originally scheduled for May 2020, but was postponed because to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Karylle Tatlonghari and Gian Magdangal star as Julie and Billy in Rep PH's 460th live production in 55 years. Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante and Lorenz Martinez portray Carrie and Enoch, respectively.

During a recent talkback session following the gala premiere of "Carousel" at the new Tanhalang Ignacio Gimenez, the show's assistant director Kyla Rivera discussed the show's current changes, focusing on the impact of Depp vs Heard.

"In the original script, you see everybody really come and notice what's happening... all in the public eye," shared Kyla. "It's also commenting on, when you put something out there - your relationship issues - everybody is going to comment on it."

This particular case can be observed in the "Geraniums in the Winder" piece directed by Lorenz's Enoch, in which he requests a member of the audience to use a phone to record his emotions, while the ensemble members do the same.

Depp v. Heard is the first celebrity trial to take place in the streaming era, when content reigns supreme. More than 100 hours of testimony has been harvested by content creators and curators for their own channels from the livestreamed hearings.

TikTok is flooded with trial supercuts, Twitter with frantic hot takes, Twitch with streamers watching and memeing the trial live, and YouTube with all of the aforementioned. As a result, the trial has gained a surprising level of digital ubiquity online, making it simultaneously difficult to turn away and impossible to escape, as captivating as it is obtrusive.

The court action represents the climax of six years of heated litigation between the stars Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, who wed in February 2015. Heard filed for divorce and a temporary restraining order against Depp in May 2016, alleging that he verbally and physically abused her.

Depp is now suing Heard for $50 million, alleging that a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she refers to herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse" but does not directly identify Depp was libelous and led to Disney's decision to remove him from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

The implication of Depp's claim is that Heard's account of abuse is fake. During their relationship, he has maintained in court that he was the subject of malicious physical and verbal attacks. A jury in Virginia sided with Depp after a lengthy trial earlier in the year, determining that a 2018 Washington Post article written by Heard was defamatory.

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Johnny Depp, Amber Heard